Polish prosecutor: 'Auschwitz' football chants are not anti-Semitic

By James Masters, CNN

Updated 1449 GMT (2249 HKT) January 16, 2014

Poland's problems: Anti-Semitism in football5 photos

Acceptable chants? – Fans of Polish football club Lech Poznan fans were found not guilty of anti-Semitic chanting by a prosecutor. The club has vowed to eradicate anti-Semitism and says it is working to educate supporters.

Hide Caption

1 of 5

Poland's problems: Anti-Semitism in football5 photos

Legia's legacy – Lech Poznan is not the only Polish club to have been investigated due to its supporters' behavior. Legia Warsaw fans are renowned for their racist chanting and the team was forced to play behind closed doors last year by European ruling body UEFA, which also imposed a fine.

Hide Caption

2 of 5

Poland's problems: Anti-Semitism in football5 photos

Widespread problem – Legia Warsaw fans have been in trouble on countless occasions for racism and anti-Semitism, including at a home game against Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2011.

Hide Caption

3 of 5

Poland's problems: Anti-Semitism in football5 photos

'Jihad' banner – This banner was held aloft by Legia Warsaw fans during the game with Hapoel Tel Aviv. The banner, which had the Arabic word "Jihad" emblazoned on it, was used to incite visiting supporters.

Hide Caption

4 of 5

Poland's problems: Anti-Semitism in football5 photos

Krakow rivalry – Another Polish team, Wisla Krakow, has a gang of supporters called the "Jude Gang" which is notorious for its anti-Semitic views. Its derby matches with Cracovia, a club founded by Jews in 1906, is often marred by racial abuse.

"Although the PZPN, the Polish Football Association, has introduced stricter laws and are more proactive in dealing with such problems than they were, there is no plan, no willingness to do anything with the problem.

Anti-Semitism within Polish football is not a new phenomenon. In a country where some of the worst atrocities of the Holocaust were committed, the home of Auschwitz, this latest episode will be difficult for many outside of Poland to comprehend.

Why so few South Asian footballers?

Just Watched

Platini outlines UEFA's racism reforms

Widzew has often been often targeted because of its links to the Jewish community which was exterminated by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Known as a "Jewish club" in the same way as English team Tottenham Hotspur and Dutch side Ajax are, Widzew and the city's smaller club, LKS Lodz, are often taunted by rival team's fans.

Poland was home to the largest Jewish community in Europe before the Holocaust, when 90% of the country's 3.3 million Jews were killed by the Nazis. Today there are an estimated 25,000.

Moshe Kantor, the President of the European Jewish Congress, says the decision has consolidated a view that anti-Semitism is the "last acceptable prejudice in football."

"Unfortunately, extreme anti-Semitic chants like those in Poznan are regularly heard in many European stadiums, including in England and Holland, and the reaction of the authorities is minimal," Kantor said in a statement on the organization's website.

"The irony in some of these chants is that the perpetrators sometimes have Jewish players within their teams.

"Maor Melikson, an Israeli international, and his fellow countryman David "Dudu" Biton, played a massive part in Wisla Krakow's title success in 2010-11 -- Melikson even scoring the winner against rivals Cracovia, which won the title.

"But even since then, it isn't uncommon to hear these chants used in a derogatory way."

The frustration for many is that the authorities, including the PZPN, do not seem to be tackling the problem head on.

There are a number of stories of anti-Semitic banners being paraded in stadiums and similarly offensive t-shirts being sold outside venues.

The tale of how Resovia fans displayed a banner at the home game against local rival Stal depicting a Jewish man in an Auschwitz uniform with a "no entry" sign across his face and the slogan, "Death to those with curved noses," is just one that has come to prominence.

Soccer racism in Eastern Europe 8 photos

Soccer racism in Eastern Europe8 photos

Serbia scuffles – England midfielder Danny Rose claims he was subjected to monkey chants before, during and after the second-leg of their Under-21 Euro 2013 playoff match against Serbia on Tuesday, and had stones thrown at him by the crowd in Krusevac. Fans also ran on to the pitch and scuffles broke out after a 1-0 win secured England qualification for Euro 2013.

Trouble in Bulgaria – In September 2011, Bulgaria were fined $55,000 after a small number of fans directed monkey chants at England's Ashley Young, Cole and Theo Walcott during a Euro 2012 qualifier in Sofia.

Croatia in the dock – The Croatian FA were ordered to pay a $16,000 fine after their fans were found guilty of "displaying a racist banner and showing racist conduct during the Euro 2008 quarter-final tie against Turkey.

Hide Caption

5 of 8

Soccer racism in Eastern Europe8 photos

Crackdown on Russia – Russia were again in the news for the wrong reasons at Euro 2012 and were fined $39,00 for "the setting off and throwing of fireworks by Russia spectators, displaying of illicit banners and the invasion of the pitch by a supporter," during the Euro 2012 tie against Poland. Russia was also fined $155,000 after clashes between supporters and police during and after their game against the Czech Republic.

Hide Caption

6 of 8

Soccer racism in Eastern Europe8 photos

Bendtner loses gamble – Denmark's Nicklas Bendtner was given a one-match ban and a $126,000 fine after he lifted his shirt to reveal a betting company's logo on his underwear while celebrating a goal against Portugal in a Euro 2012 group game.

Hide Caption

7 of 8

Soccer racism in Eastern Europe8 photos

Porto punished – Porto were hit by a $27,000 fine after their fans were found guilty of subjecting Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli to monkey chants during a Europa League game in February 2012. It took UEFA six weeks to finally hand out a punishment. But questions were raised after UEFA also fined City $40,000 after the club were found guilty of coming back out on to the field of play late after the halftime interval.

Hide Caption

8 of 8

EXPAND GALLERY

Derby day atmosphere dented? 10 photos

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

Nerazzurri vs. Rossoneri – The Milan derby between Inter and AC is one of the stand out fixtures in world football, attracting a fierce atmosphere between city rivals who share the same San Siro stadium.

Hide Caption

1 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

San Siro passion play – .The San Siro becomes a wall of color and noise when the two bitter rivals meet, but as they prepare to clash for the first time this season on Sunday, the Italian league has decreed part of the stadium will be closed.

Hide Caption

2 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

Closure of Curva Nord section – The closure is punishment for offensive chants aimed at Napoli fans by Inter supporters during their match last weekend. It means a banner a group of their most vociferous fans were working on will not be displayed.

Hide Caption

3 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

Clamping down on turf wars – The Italian Football Federation decided in August to introduce stadium closures for incidents of territorial discrimination rather than the usual fines. This puts too much power in the hands of a club's hardcore fans, according to Juventus president Andrea Agnelli.

Hide Caption

4 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

Derby day atmosphere dented? – Agnelli said that while neither were acceptable, it was important to distinguish between city and regional turf wars and racism. "Italy is the land of the 1,000 boroughs," he told CNN. "There is rivalry between two boroughs that are 50 meters away and they don't talk to each other."

Hide Caption

5 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

Boycott – Some Inter fans have decided to boycott the game in response to the partial stadium closure, and have asked their AC counterparts to do the same.

Hide Caption

6 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

Negative headlines – Italy has had to deal with plenty of negative headlines in recent years. Perhaps the most high profile incident came when then-Milan player Kevin-Prince Boateng left the field during a match with lower league side Pro Patria because of racist chanting from the stands.

Hide Caption

7 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

FIFA action – Boateng's protest caused football's authorities to step up their efforts to tackle the problem and the now Schalke player was invited to sit on a racism and discrimination task force, set up by soccer's world governing body FIFA. He also met with FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Hide Caption

8 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

Abuse continues – Milan striker Mario Balotelli, and Boateng, were racially abused by Roma fans during a match in May that was temporarily suspended because of the chanting.

Hide Caption

9 of 10

Derby day atmosphere dented?10 photos

Muted atmosphere? – The Milan derby always provokes passion but, with part of the stadium closed, its notoriously fierce atmosphere could well be muted on Sunday.

Hide Caption

10 of 10

EXPAND GALLERY

Yaya Toure racially abused 5 photos

Yaya Toure racially abused5 photos

Racism in football – Manchester City's Yaya Toure says he was subjected to "monkey chants" during Wednesday's European Champions League match against CSKA Moscow.

Hide Caption

1 of 5

Yaya Toure racially abused5 photos

Racism in football – AC Milan's Mario Balotelli reacts to racist abuse from the visiting Roma fans at the San Siro in May. It was not the first time the Italian-born striker has been racially abused in Serie A.

Hide Caption

2 of 5

Yaya Toure racially abused5 photos

Racism in football – Serie A side Lazio was punished four times during the 2012-13 season due to racist offenses by its fans in European matches.

Hide Caption

3 of 5

Yaya Toure racially abused5 photos

Racism in football – "I don't care what game it is -- a friendly, Italian league or Champions League match -- I would walk off again," the Germany-born Kevin-Prince Boateng, who has represented Ghana, told CNN in an exclusive interview in January after he walked off in protest at racist abuse he was subjected to in a friendly match.

Hide Caption

4 of 5

Yaya Toure racially abused5 photos

Racism in football – U.S. star Jozy Altidore was subjected to racial abuse during AZ Alkmaar's cup win at Den Bosch in the Netherlands. The match was halted and the crowd were asked to stop the abusive chanting before the action resumed.

Hide Caption

5 of 5

EXPAND GALLERY

In September 2011, when Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv played at Legia Warsaw, its players and fans were abused throughout the contest.

Two weeks later, the same fans chanted "Hamas, Hamas, Jews off to the gas," at Lodz fans instead of the traditional chant of, "Your home is Auschwitz, all Poland knows that the entire Jewish army is going to the gas chamber."

"I wouldn't say that all Polish fans are anti-Semitic or that this is a common situation because it's not," added Zachodny.

"The problem is real, though, and comes from the fact that most of the ultras groups and hooligans are connecting themselves to far-right movements which they take and explain as patriotic.

"Unfortunately, many of them despite not being anti-Semitic, use the chants often, also claiming it is because it was always like that, it should not be understood as racism or anti-Semitism or anything like that.

"That is dangerous as well, obviously, while PZPN is not doing anything about it -- rarely even commenting it."

The incident in Poland came just weeks after French footballer Nicolas Anelka courted controversy by making the "quenelle" gesture after scoring for West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League.

The "quenelle" involves pointing the right arm down at an angle and touching that arm with the left hand.

Anelka has said that the celebration was nothing more than a nod to his friend, controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala, who has popularized the gesture in France.

But others believe the gesture is a Nazi salute in reverse, and it has been linked to rising anti-Semitism in France -- a charge over which Dieudonne, a holocaust denier, faces an investigation by the Paris prosecutor's office.

The English Football Association has yet to make a decision on whether the player will face sanctions.

"We have seen quick condemnation, bans and major fines when other minorities are attacked by players and fans in Europe, but barely a whimper is heard when Jews are subject to attack," he said in the statement.

"It has been over two weeks since Anelka's offensive salute and it is completely clear to all that the gesture was designed to offend Jews by an unrepentant anti-Semite and Holocaust-denier.

"The silence on behalf of the football authorities compounds the original offense by Anelka, and if it is not harshly dealt with it will be seen as implicit acceptance of this anti-Semitic affront."